Rotary-injector type distributor

ABSTRACT

The invention comprehends a rotary-injector type distributor interposed between a pressure fluid intake and one or more receiving pulse tubes, characterized in that the rotary injector has on either side of its ejection orifice a leading edge and a trailing edge, as considered in the direction of rotation, of an angular extent such that the leading edge can cover the receiving-tube entry past which the injector will move, the leading edge uncovering such entry only in proportion as the injector ejection orifice moves past the entry, and in turn the trailing edge gradually covers the entry in proportion as the injector ejection orifice departs from the entry, to ensure in both cases that in the tube-filling phase the fluid is not exhausted from the tube before having been operative therein.

United States Patent [191 Boy-Marcotte et al.

[ Aug. 13, 1974 ROTARY-INJECTOR TYPE DISTRIBUTOR [75] Inventors: Jean Louis Boy-Marcotte, Orsay;

Jacques Louis Paul Simonnet, Gif sur Yvette; Philippe Albert Hippolyte Marchal, Boulogne; Jean Prudent Fernand; Rene Verrien, both of Paris, all of France [73] Assignees: Bertin 8: Cie, Plaisir; France and Entreprise De Recherches Et DActivitesPetrolieres Elf, Paris, both. .offran 22 Filed: Oct.11, 1972 [21] Appl. N6; 296,643,

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 15,1971 France. 71.37113 [52] US. Cl. 62/467, l37/625.11 [51] Int. Cl....; F251) 9/00, F16k 11/00 [58] Field of Search..... 137/625.1l, 625.13, 625.31;

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,556,152 l/197l NystrandQ 137/6253] 3,570,314 3/1971 Wagner 137/625.11 3,653,225 4/1972 Marchal et a1 62/88 Primary Examiner-William R. Cline Attorney, Agent, or FirmA. W. Breiner [57] ABSTRACT The invention comprehends a rotary-injector type distributor interposed between a pressure fluid intake and one or more receiving pulse tubes, characterized in that the rotary injector has on either side of its ejection orifice a leading edge and a trailing edge, as considered in the direction of rotation, of an angular extent such that the leading edge can cover the receiving-tube entry past which the injector will move, the

k leading edge uncovering such entry only in proportion as the injector ejection orifice moves past the entry, and in turn the trailing edge gradually covers the entry in proportion as the injector ejection orifice departs from the entry, to ensure in both cases that in the tube-filling phase the fluid is not exhausted from the tube before having been operative therein.

7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENTEU Am; 1 31514 ROTARY-INJECTOR TYPE DISTRIBUTOR This invention generally relates to a pulsating gas flow device using the physical phenomena deriving from a pulsating gasflow to divide an initial stream of compressed gas atone temperature into a first component flow at a lower temperature and a second component flow at a higher temperature; the second component flow can be small or even zero, in which eventthe apparatus is basically a gas cooler.

Apparatuses of this kind are familiar to the skilled addressee and information about them can be obtained from US. Pat. Nos. 3,541,801 and 3,653,225 which disclose various embodiments wherein pulsating flows are derived from a continuous gas supply by means of a distributor which can either be static and comprise a fluid flip-flop or movable and comprise eg a rotary distributor.

This invention particularly concerns a rotary-injector type distributor interposed between a pressure fluid in take and one or more receiving pulse tubes.

According to this invention, the rotary injector has on either side of its ejection orifice a leading'edge and a trailing edge, as considered in the direction of rotation, of an angular extent such that the leading edge can cover the receiving-tube entry past which the injector will move, the leading edge uncovering such entry only in proportion as the injector ejection orifice moves past the entry, and in turn the trailing edge gradually covers the entry in proportion as the injector ejection orifice departs from the entry, to ensure in both cases that in the tubefilling phase the fluid is not exhausted from the tube before having been operative therein.

Preferably, the angular extent of the trailing edge is greater than the angular extent of the leading edge, which can be substantially equal to tube width, so that the receivingtube which the injector ejection orifice has just left stays fully closed for a further brief period before its entry starts to be uncovered.

According to a feature of this invention, the leading and trailing edges of the ejection orifice are thickened terminal parts of the r otaryinjector. Operational clearance is left between the injector ejection orifice and its leading and trailing edges, on the one hand, and the stationary wall of a capacitance to which the or each receiving tube extends, on the other hand, to reduce losses of gas proceeding from the injector to the capacitance, sealing means being disposed between the stationary and rotating parts so as to reduce such losses.

pulse tubes is at a markedly lower temperature than the gas energizing the injector. If the injector-energizing gas is natural gas containing condensable products, the apparatus according to the invention can be used for effective and low-cost removal of gasoline from natural gas by condensation of the condensable products along the principles outlined in the above-mentioned Marchal et al. specification US. Pat. No. 3,653,225, notably with reference to FIGS. 14 17 thereof.

The following description, taken in association with the accompanying exemplary non-limitative drawings, will show clearly how the invention can be carried into effect; features disclosed by the description and by the drawings form of course part of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in cross-section, on the line ll of FIG. 2, of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in axial section on the line ll-.Il of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a constructional detail.

As in the prior art, the apparatus comprises receiving pulse tubes 1 (only two of which are shown in FIG. 1 in ordernot to overload the drawing) radiating from a cylindrical chamber or capacitance 2 having one or more cool-fluid sampling ducts 3 and including bearings 4 and sealing means 5 appropriate for the rotation of a. pressure gas distributor; in the example shown, such distributor takes the form of a dual diametric injector 6 communicating with an axial supply pipe 7 and rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow F either by an appropriate external motor (not shown) or if the injector axis is so offset from the axis of rotation (as shown in FIG. 3) that the stream leaving the ejection orifices 6a produces a torque around such axis by a reaction-wheel effect.

A feature of the invention is that the rotary injector .a width 1 comprised between 1 and 2.5 1.

Clearly, therefore, the leading edge 8 covers the receiving-tube entry before which the injector 6 will pass and uncovers such entry only in proportion as the injector 6 moves past it, the entry la of the tube being fully uncovered when the ejection orifice 6a fully registers with the entry. In turn, the trailing edge 9 gradually covers the entry In in proportion as the ejection orifice 6a moves away from the full-registration position, until the entry la is completely closed. Consequently, the thick edges 8, 9 ensure that, during the phase of filling a tube 1, gas does not escape therefrom before having been operative therein.

Since the length L of the trailing edge 9 is greater than the width 1 of the tube 1, the tube 1 stays fully closed for a time which depends upon the excess of L over 1 before its entry orifice la starts to be uncovered so that the tube 1 can communicate with the chamber 2, from which fluid cooler than the gas intaken at 7 is sampled at 3.

The axis of the injector ejection orifice 6a is so oriented at an angle a relatively to the tube entry axis that the gas ejection velocity V combines with the angular velocity U of the injector in such a way that the absolute velocity vector W of the gas leaving the orifice 6a coincides with the axis of the entry la.

Very little clearance should be left between the rotating injector 6 and the receiving ring of the chamber 2, to reduce loss of hot gases to the cool-gas outlets 3.

Labyrinth seals can be provided to keep such losses low.

We claim:

1. In a gas-cooling system of the pulse tube type wherein a gas undergoes intermittent temperature raising compression and temperature lowering expansion, comprising a plurality of pulse tubes having respective inlets located adjacent each other in circular succession, a chamber into which said inlets open, a rotary distributor having a duct rotating in said chamber and ending with a discharge orifice movable successively in front of each of said inlets in successive register therewith, and means for supplying a continuous flow of gas under pressure to said rotary distributor whereby said pulse tubes are intermittently fed with said gas as said discharge orifice moves past said inlets, the improvement comprising an arcuately extending leading edge fast with said duct and projecting ahead of said discharge orifice with respect to the rotational direction thereof to cause successively each of said inlets to' convert from a first condition wherein the respective inlet freely communicates with said chamber into a second conditionwherein said respective inlet is momentarily shut off therefrom by said leading edge in anticipation of a third condition wherein said respective inlet is in registry with said discharge orifice, and an opposite arcuately extending trailing edge fast with said duct and projecting beyond said discharge orifice with respect to the rotational direction thereof to cause successively each of said inlets, in subsequence to said third condition of registry therewith of said discharge orifice, to convert into a fourth condition wherein the respective inlet is momentarily shut off from said chamber by said trailing edge, in anticipation of a fifth condition wherein said respective inlet again freely communicates with said chamber,

2. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arcuate extent of said trailing edge is greater than the arcuate extent of said leading edge, whereby each inlet is obturated longer in subsequence to than in anticipation of the registry therewith of said discharge orifice as the latter moves with a uniform rotational velocity.

3. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets have substantially the same arcuate extent as measured in the rotational direction of said discharge orifice, and the arcuate extent of said leading edge is substantially equal to that of said inlets.

4. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets have substantially the same arcuate extent as measured in the rotational direction of said discharge orifice, and the arcuate extent of said discharge orifice likewise measured is'greater than that of said inlets.

5. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arcuately extending leading and trailing edges are formed by opposite thickened end parts of said rotary distributor duct.

6. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets open in circular succession on a revolution surface of said chamber, said rotary distributor duct extends generally diametrically across said chamber and ends with diametrically opposite discharge orifices both provided with arcuately extending leading and trailing edges, the leading edge of one discharge orifice being arcuately spaced from the trailing edge of the other discharge orifice and the trailing edge of said one discharge orifice being likewise'arcuately spaced from the leading edge of said other discharge orifice, and said gas supply means comprises a journalled pipe extending axially into said chamber and fast with said diametrically extending duct.

7. System as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pulse tubes radiate-from said revolution surface and have respective inlet axes which are eccentered with respect to the axis of said revolution surface, said inlet axes being inclined in the direction of rotation of said duct. 

1. In a gas-cooling system of the pulse tube type wherein a gas undergoes intermittent temperature raising compression and temperature lowering expansion, comprising a plurality of pulse tubes having respective inlets located adjacent each other in circular succession, a chamber into which said inlets open, a rotary distributor having a duct rotating in said chamber and ending with a discharge orifice movable successively in front of each of said inlets in successive register therewith, and means for supplying a continuous flow of gas under pressure to said rotary distributor whereby said pulse tubes are intermittently fed with said gas as said discharge orifice moves past said inlets, the improvement comprising an arcuately extending leading edge fast with said duct and projecting ahead of said discharge orifice with respect to the rotational direction thereof to cause successively each of said inlets to convert from a first condition wherein the respective inlet freely communicates with said chamber into a second condition wherein said respective inlet is momentarily shut off therefrom by said leading edge in anticipation of a third condition wherein said respective inlet is in registry with said discharge orifice, and an opposite arcuately extending trailing edge fast with said duct and projecting beyond said discharge orifice with respect to the rotational direction thereof to cause successively each of said inlets, in subsequence to said third condition of registry therewith of said discharge orifice, to convert into a fourth condition wherein the respective inlet is momentarily shut off from said chamber by said trailing edge, in anticipation of a fifth condition wherein said respective inlet again freely communicates with said chamber.
 2. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arcuate extent of said trailing edge is greater than the arcuate extent of said leading edge, whereby each inlet is obturated longer in subsequence to than in anticipation of the registry therewith of said discharge orifice as the latter moves with a uniform rotational velocity.
 3. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets have substantially the same arcuate extent as measured in the rotational direction of said discharge orifice, and the arcuate extent of said leading edge is substantially equal to that of said inlets.
 4. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets have substantially the same arcuate extent as measured in the rotational direction of said discharge orifice, and the arcuate extent of said discharge orifice likewise measured is greater than that of said inlets.
 5. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arcuately extending leading and trailing edges are formed by opposite thickened end parts of said rotary distributor duct.
 6. System as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlets open in circular succession on a revolution surface of said chamber, said rotary distributor duct extends generally diametrically across said chamber and ends with diametrically opposite discharge orifices both provided with arcuately extending leading and trailing edges, the leading edge of one discharge orifice being arcuately spaced from the trailing edge of the other discharge orifice and the trailing edge of said one discharge orifice being likewise arcuately spaced from the leading edge of said other discharge orifice, and said gas supply means comprises a journalled pipe extending axially into said chamber and fast with said diametrically extending duct.
 7. System as claimed in claim 6, wherein said pulse tubes radiate from said revolution surface and have respective inlet axes which are eccentered with respect to the axis of said revolution surface, said inlet axes being inclined in the direction of rotation of said duct. 